Annandale rec center needs extended summer closure for maintenance

(Updated at 4:50 p.m.) The Audrey Moore Rec Center will be closed longer than usual for its annual summer maintenance to address mounting facility needs.

The closure will begin on Aug. 27 and continue past Labor Day until Sept. 9, the Fairfax County Park Authority announced on Friday (Aug. 5).

During that period, workers will attend to routine maintenance of the swimming pool’s whitecoat plaster as well as other improvements to the Annandale facility, which is the county’s oldest rec center.

“We understand closures can be very disruptive, but Audrey Moore needs some serious attention right now,” Cindy Walsh, director of the FCPA’s Park Services Division, said. “We ask for your patience as we work to make this facility cleaner, healthier and more attractive.”

According to the news release, the extended closure will enable workers to address maintenance “aimed at improving customer service in the short-term” without exposing visitors to paint and other chemicals.

The planned improvements include:

• Carpet replacement on the second level
• Main hallway drywall repair and painting and lighting upgrades.
• Remodeling the family changing room, including new tiles.
• Door replacement at pool entrance.
• LED lighting upgrades in some locker rooms and hallways.
• Basketball court flooring repairs.
• Remodeling the pottery studio (painting/drywall repair, sink and counter replacements, floor replacement).
• Fitness center ceiling and lighting upgrades.

Staff will also take care of a number of custodial tasks, such as:

• Cleaning all tables and chairs, mats and other equipment after heavy summer camp use.
• Scrubbing tile grout lines, cleaning heating, ventilation and air conditioning ceiling vents to improve airflow and appearance, etc.
• Replacing stained ceiling tiles in areas that are not scheduled for full replacement.
• Touch up and/or paint door frames.
• Schedule carpet cleaning in office/front desk area that would be difficult to do while open.
• Stain picnic tables on sundeck. Replace boards as necessary.
• Remove mineral deposits and polish metal and chrome fixtures throughout building.

Park authority spokesperson Judith Pedersen confirmed that the upcoming maintenance work is separate from the county’s pending plan to renovate and expand the Audrey Moore Rec Center.

The county was slated to unveil concept design options for that project this spring and hold a community meeting this summer, but the process has been slightly delayed.

“We do not anticipate [the renovation] project to begin until after the next bond cycle — pending passage, of course,” Pedersen said by email. “This is later than expected due to scheduling in coordination with other County capital projects, as well as supply chain and market pressures that have raised the cost of other capital projects and essentially have a ripple effect on the Park Authority’s capital program.”

Pedersen says design work will resume “once our cashflow situation is more clearly defined.”

The county’s last parks bonds were approved by voters in 2020 and included a portion of funding for the Audrey Moore project. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a change during the most recent budget process that shifted most bonds from every four years to a six-year cycle.

As a result, the next parks bond referendum won’t go on the ballot until 2026, according to Pedersen.